Unfortunately, the season for mirabelle plums is always quite short here in Germany. Far too short, given how much you can do with these little cousins of the good old plum! As you can see, for instance, we baked a Mirabelle Plum Streusel Cheesecake – super creamy, sweet, and truly delicious! It’s so good that it’s worth baking it more than once a season…
Mirabelle plums aren’t quite as popular or widespread as regular plums or damson plums, even though they all belong to the same family. Mirabelles prefer warmer weather and are therefore found mostly in the south of Germany and Europe – which makes them a bit rarer to begin with. Since the fruit is also relatively small compared to plums or damson plums, you could say they offer a lower yield. The ratio of fruit flesh to stone is much smaller…
Consequently, for a mirabelle cake, you need to buy and pit significantly more fruit than you would for a regular plum cake. That means spending more time working and pitting if you want to bake with mirabelle plums. But the extra effort is definitely worth it… as you can perhaps see from this delicious mirabelle plum streusel cheesecake.
Unfortunately, we don’t have a garden of our own where we could plant any trees. Our building here in Berlin is a classic older structure with five floors and a large courtyard in the back. There are a few trees and bushes there, but none of them bear fruit. It would have been great if someone had planted apple trees or other fruit-bearing trees or bushes there… but I suppose one shouldn’t complain. At least we have something green!
I once spoke with former neighbors who had lived in the building thirty years before we moved in. Back then, there was absolutely no greenery in the courtyard at all. Our building was located on the East side of the Berlin Wall – less than 50 meters away – and was a bit run-down back then. Landscaping the backyard wasn’t exactly a priority for the landlord I assume.
Anyway. Luckily, we have friends who can get us some fresh fruit now and then during summer – something that isn’t exactly common in Berlin if you live inside the S-Bahn ring. Out in the suburbs, it’s no problem, but the city center is densely populated with almost no gardens, unfortunately.
Of course, you don’t have to use hand-picked fruit from your or a friend’s garden for this cake. Delicious mirabelle plums from the farmers’ market or supermarket work perfectly well, too. Occasionally you get lucky and find special offers for fruit like mirabelle plums right when the season kicks off.
If you’d like to try some more recipes featuring mirabelle plums or regular plums, you might want to take a look at our Mirabelle Plum Filo Tart. It’s extremely delicious thanks to those little mirabelles, but it would taste great with regular plums or damson plums, too.
The same goes for our Mirabelle Plum Poppy Seed Streusel Cheesecake. It’s a super tasty cake that we’ve baked many times – either exactly like you can see it in the pictures or with slight adjustments (using damson plums, for instance). A poppy seed cake is always a winner! Just add a bit of fruit on top, and it instantly turns into a showstopper.
INGREDIENTS / INGREDIENTS
DIRECTIONS / PREPARATION
1. Wash, dry, half, and pit the Mirabelle plums. Add them to a small bowl and mix with the flour. Set aside.
2. Preheat the oven to 200°C (390°F). Line a 24cm springform tin* with baking parchment and set aside.
3. Combine the flour and sugar for the streusel in a large bowl. Add the cold butter in small pieces and toss to combine. Add the egg yolk and vanilla extract and mix in. Use your fingers to create different-sized sprinkles. Transfer about 2/3 of the sprinkles to the prepared springform tin and press them down to create an even layer. Bake in the preheated oven for about 10 minutes.
4. While the cake base is in the oven, prepare the filling. Add the sugar and butter to a large bowl and mix until light and fluffy. Next, add the eggs one after another and mix well after each addition. Add the lemon zest and mix it in. Finally, add the cream cheese in two batches. Do not overmix, you just want the mixture to be smooth and without any lumps.
5. Remove the springform tin from the oven, pour the cream cheese mixture onto the pre-baked base, then place the Mirabelle plums evenly on top and sprinkle with the remaining sprinkles. Return the baking tin to the oven and bake for about 40 minutes longer. Take the baked cake out of the oven and let it cool down completely, then place it in the fridge for at least 2 hours or overnight before serving.
1. Wash, dry, halve and pit the mirabelle plums. Mix with 1 tablespoon of flour in a small bowl and set aside.
2. Preheat the oven to 200°C (390°F) top/bottom heat. Line a 24cm springform pan* with baking paper and set aside.
3. Mix the flour for the streusel with the sugar in a large bowl. Add the butter in small pieces and mix in. Also add the egg yolk and vanilla extract and process everything into crumbles. Pour about 2/3 of the sprinkles into the prepared springform pan and press together to form a smooth layer. Bake in the preheated oven for about 10 minutes.
4. While the base is baking, prepare the filling. To do this, beat the sugar and soft butter until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time and stir in well. Add the lemon zest and stir in, then add the cream cheese in two portions and stir in each time until you can no longer see any lumps.
5. Remove the mold from the oven, pour the cream cheese mixture onto the pre-baked base, then spread the mirabelle plums on top and sprinkle with the remaining sprinkles. Put the dish back in the oven and then bake again for about 40 minutes. Remove the finished cake from the oven and let it cool completely. then place in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours or overnight.
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Here is a version of the recipe you can print easily.
Description
If you can find mirabelle plums in summer – this is the cake to bake: a delicious Mirabelle Plum Streusel Cheesecake. It’s one of the best cakes we ever made!
For the sprinkles:
10.6 oz. (300g) all-purpose flour*
3/4 cup (150g) sugar (fine)*
2/3 cup (150g) cold butter
1 medium egg yolk
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract*
For the filling:
17.6 oz. (500g) Mirabelle plums, halved & pitted
1 tbsp. all-purpose flour*
1/2 cup (100g) sugar (fine)*
1/3 cup (80g) butter, at room temperature
3 medium eggs
1 organic lemon, zest
21 oz. (600g) cream cheese
1. Wash, dry, half, and pit the Mirabelle plums. Add them to a small bowl and mix with the flour. Set aside.
2. Preheat the oven to 200°C (390°F). Line a 24cm springform tin* with baking parchment and set aside.
3. Combine the flour and sugar for the streusel in a large bowl. Add the cold butter in small pieces and toss to combine. Add the egg yolk and vanilla extract and mix in. Use your fingers to create different-sized sprinkles. Transfer about 2/3 of the sprinkles to the prepared springform tin and press them down to create an even layer. Bake in the preheated oven for about 10 minutes.
4. While the cake base is in the oven, prepare the filling. Add the sugar and butter to a large bowl and mix until light and fluffy. Next, add the eggs one after another and mix well after each addition. Add the lemon zest and mix it in. Finally, add the cream cheese in two batches. Do not overmix, you just want the mixture to be smooth and without any lumps.
5. Remove the springform tin from the oven, pour the cream cheese mixture onto the pre-baked base, then place the Mirabelle plums evenly on top and sprinkle with the remaining sprinkles. Return the baking tin to the oven and bake for about 40 minutes longer. Take the baked cake out of the oven and let it cool down completely, then place it in the fridge for at least 2 hours or overnight before serving.
Notes
Let your creativity shine in the kitchen!
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